Tacacori, five km north of Alajuela, Costa Rica
Stylishly contemporary, Xandari Resort and Spa combines an impressive ridgetop location with colorful, artistic décor and a satisfyingly sophisticated full–service spa.
When California entrepreneur couple Sheryl and Charlene Brody bought themselves a coffee estate on the slopes of Poás volcano, a few kilometers north of Alajuela, they selected a site tailor–made for a splashy hotel. Barely a 15–minute drive from the international airport, with fabulous views over the Central Valley to the distant Escazú hills, the setting is sublime.
A steep and badly potholed road through coffee country deposits you at the gate, beyond which a lush world of ferns, palms, and colorful plants slope up to a circular, stone–lined arena with a broad shallow staircase channeling up to the entrance. The arching facade is a statement to the lovely architectural  simplicity that owner Sheryl––a professional architect––brought to designing this hotel. It is giddy throughout with a combination of ice–cream pastels and primary colors, the mosaic tilework and stained–glass windows combining with mango, peach and pistachio walls. Much of the vibrant modernist artwork is co–owner Charlene's.
The lobby lounge is a veritable gallery of exquisite sculptures and craft pieces spilling out of the adjoining gift store. To one side, a sinuous bar with gleaming hardwood counter mirrors the curvaceous vaulted hardwood ceiling––a Xandari motif that plays throughout the property. Open along one wall, the mezzanine lounge opens onto a shaded dining terrace offering vast views over the valley beyond a forested canyon. A small TV and music room proves convenient on rainy days. Charlene offers art classes and yoga in a dedicated studio. Two lap pools provide a modicum of exercise, while hiking trails in the canyon lead to a waterfall with a natural pool good for swimming.. The full–service spa is a soul–soothing temptation where a deep–tub soak in a thatch–fringed open–air tub precedes your massage.
Delicious health–conscious meals produced by a versatile chef make the most of fresh ingredients from the hotel's own orchard and garden.
The spacious, free–standing villas come in various contemporary architectural styles. With their sensual rooflines and contoured sofas, each is a visual stunner steeped in sunlight and flooded with primary colors. Décor includes original artwork, native craft pieces, and quality Guatemalan tapestries and fabrics. All villas are positioned to maximize great views through walls of glass opening onto broad verandas. Each villa additionally boasts an enclosed garden with lounge chairs. Bathrooms beckon with their capacious showers enclosed by arcing mosaic–clad walls, while some also offer outdoor showers, which look out at the garden through walls of glass.
It is hard to imagine anyone not falling head over heels for Xandari Resort and Spa, whose every delightful aspect is being recreated at Xandari by the Pacific, a near copycat version due for completion in 2007 by the shore at Esterillos Oeste.
Web Address: www.xandari.com
Total Number of Rooms: 22
Published rates: $227 to $320 BB with taxes
Review and photos by Christopher Baker
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